BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: 2009 L.A. Auto Show

Delivering three-hundred and fifty-six horsepower with 590 lb-ft of torque with a curb weight under 3000 pounds, this is an eco-machine capable of hanging with BMW's mighty M3, while churning out Prius-besting EPA numbers of 62.6 mpg at the same time.

Nov 23, 2009

What It Is

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

The Specs

Radical design? Check. Three-hundred and fifty-six horsepower with 590 lb-ft of torque? Check. A curb weight of less than 3000 pounds? Uh huh. Advanced six-speed DSG transmission? Yes, that too. The resulting stats are predictable: 4.8 seconds from 0-to-60 mph. What's not par for the concept-car course is the powerplant--a three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine coupled to an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain. That means you're looking at an eco-machine capable of hanging with BMW's mighty M3, while churning out Prius-besting EPA numbers of 62.6 mpg at the same time.

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BMW has made it clear that it has no interest in keeping up the two-mode-hybrid charade, and the electric goodies onboard the Vision EfficientDynamics are an evolution of the mild-hybrid system hitting the streets in the ActiveHybrid 7 Series next year. The same 33-hp electric motor gets nestled between the engine and the transmission, but the Vision EfficientDynamics boasts a brawnier 80-hp unit at the front axles. Supplying power to the electric motors is a new lithium-polymer battery pack, which weighs half as much as the pack in the Chevrolet Volt, and charges in 2.5 hours when plugged into a 220-volt outlet.

The Bottom Line

Don't expect to see the Vision EfficientDynamics on showroom floors anytime soon. The concept's Buck Rogers design may not lend itself to production, but the tech inside shows that BMW has some interest in true hybrid technology. We'll see a similar electric drivetrain in a road-going model within the next couple of years.